Page 80 of Broken Instrument

But you turned me around

And looked past my past.

There’s a future with us.

One I can taste.

Especially when I look at your sweet face

You put me together

We’re a puzzle

Meant to be

And I know you can help fix me

Just stay with me

Stay with me

I sing the chorus, lost in my words, the rhythm, the lights, and the crowd, every emotion rolling through me like a thunderstorm. It gains momentum with each passing note until the last one rings through the air.

And then… Applause.

It’s a high I know I’ll never be able to replicate. One I’ll always crave but is only magnified when I find Hadley grinning back at me with glassy eyes and so much pride, I almost feel like I deserve it.

She isn’t ashamed. Or embarrassed to be mine. She’s proud. And I think I could love her for it.

We play a few more songs, some belonging to Broken Vows while others are my own, before the final note of our short playlist rings out through the crowd.

After another round of applause, the lights dim, and we head offstage while another band takes their turn setting up.

But as I search for Hadley in the sea of chaos, I realize she’s missing.

“Where is she?” I ask Sonny.

He shrugs and answers, “She had to take a call. I think she’s…” He points to the back area of the building, and I beeline it toward the exit.

I just want to hold my girl.

28

HADLEY

It was the text message sent to my phone that got to me. I’d had almost a dozen calls, all of which I’d ignored, but the text? Yeah. There’s no ignoring it.

806.555.3239: This is Detective Burke. Please call me at your earliest convenience. It’s important.

I push call and press my phone to my ear, chewing on a hangnail as I step out of Fender’s line of sight on stage and search for somewhere quieter.

“Ms. Rutherford?” Detective Burke answers a few rings later.

“Hi. Yes. Hi,” I repeat, feeling like a frazzled mess. “It’s me. Hadley. I got your text––”

“We need you to come down to the station.”

I plug my other ear with my finger, convinced I’ve heard him wrong as I dodge a few more people and step further away from the stage. “What? Why?”

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